Department for Transport

Airports: Coronavirus

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial support the Government is providing to (a) airports and (b) airport staff during the covid-19 outbreak.

Kelly Tolhurst: Following the Chancellor’s recent announcement, we are working urgently to develop proposals to support the UK aviation industry - we are committed to ensuring the sector and its employees continue to thrive. Next steps will be announced shortly.

Airports: Coronavirus

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a (a) fast-tracked and (b) fee-free SIA Licence application scheme for airport security personnel to enable those staff to be re-deployed during the covid-19 outbreak.

Kelly Tolhurst: My Department is looking at ways to best ensure how those aviation personnel who are temporarily displaced from their jobs in aviation may be able to return to their roles quickly and with the minimum of delay when operations start to be resumed. As aviation security personnel are exempt from SIA licensing, my officials are speaking with the Home Office to see what options may be possible should aviation security personnel wish to pursue security roles elsewhere.

Air Traffic Control: Coronavirus

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending the minimum monthly hour requirements for air traffic controllers to enable staff who have self-isolated as a result of the covid-19 outbreak to re-enter the workforce without a delay.

Kelly Tolhurst: The working time arrangements of air traffic controllers reflect the vital role they play in maintaining air safety. These arrangements are long standing and designed to ensure that controllers are physically and mentally fit to carry out their operational duties. The current working time arrangements already provide some flexibility which could be used if deemed necessary. An air navigation service provider can seek an amendment to the working time arrangements for their unit from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or in exceptional circumstances use its own discretion to modify them on a temporary basis.

Blue Badge Scheme

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to blue badge parking bays for people with disabilities.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Local authorities are responsible for the administration of the Blue Badge scheme and for the provision of disabled parking bays in their areas, ensuring for example that there are sufficient numbers and that they are located in the right places. Local authorities are also responsible for the enforcement of all parking regulations, including those regarding disabled parking bays on-street (the scheme only applies to on-street parking and not to off-street car parks). They will be making their own arrangements for business continuity to ensure appropriate on-street parking enforcement continues.  To support the role that local authorities play, the Department has issued non-statutory guidance to local authorities in England on how to administer the scheme. This includes advice on how to use the powers provided to them in legislation to enforce on-street parking bays.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the covid-19 outbreak on MOT testing.

Rachel Maclean: The effect of COVID-19 on vehicle testing has been under constant review as the situation has developed. As announced on 25th March, vehicle owners will be granted a 6-month exemption from MOT testing, enabling them to continue to travel to work where this absolutely cannot be done from home, or shop for necessities.

Airports: Coronavirus

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of relaxing the sixty day rule for airport security pass holders to allow pass holders that have not been in work as a result of the covid-19 outbreak to return without delay.

Kelly Tolhurst: My Department and the Civil Aviation Authority are examining this issue amongst others, to ensure that when aviation operations resume, people can return to work as soon as possible.

Driving Tests: Coronavirus

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to ensure the DVSA reinstates driving tests for those who seek to become key workers needing a driving licence during the covid-19 outbreak.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has suspended most driver testing for up to three months to support government’s efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. The DVSA will continue, as a major priority, to make tests available for those whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response or who work in critical sectors.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to fund the cost of providing season ticket refunds to season ticket holders on GTR during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Season ticket holders across all franchises are already entitled to claim a refund if they no longer need their season ticket. Affected passengers should contact their retailer for details of refunds available.

Blue Badge Scheme

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he plans to introduce changes to the Blue Badge parking scheme to provide eligibility for applicants with temporary disabilities or conditions.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department currently has no plans to extend eligibility to people with temporary disabilities or conditions. With around 2.3 million badges already on issue in England, a further widening of the criteria could place undue pressure on the scheme. It is important that the Blue Badge scheme remains sustainable and protects preferential parking facilities for those who rely upon them for their long-term independence.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Self-employed: Coronavirus

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of covid-19 on sole traders; and what steps he is taking to support sole traders with reduced income during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nadhim Zahawi: In order to help UK businesses during the Coronavirus outbreak, we have made an unprecedented level of support available in the form of cash grants and business loans. The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), delivered by the British Business Bank, is now available for eligible smaller businesses including unincorporated businesses, such as partnerships and sole traders. Decision-making on whether a business is eligible to access CBILS will be fully delegated to the 40+ accredited lenders. The Scheme covers overdrafts, loans, asset finance, and invoice finance. Full guidance, including eligibility criteria, will be published at: www.british-business-bank.co.uk/cbils. In addition, HMRC have set up a tax helpline on 0800 0159 559 to support and advise businesses and self-employed people concerned about missing tax commitments due to Coronavirus. Further detail on the Government’s support package for businesses is at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support/

Business: Loans

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the (a) guidance and (b) eligibility criteria are for the covid-19 Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Paul Scully: The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is now live. Eligible businesses can apply for a loan or other form of finance through one of 40-plus providers accredited by the British Business Bank to offer the scheme. These include all the major UK banks. The application process is typically online for smaller amounts and the lending decision is made by the provider concerned. Full guidance, including eligibility criteria, is available on the British Business Bank website at www.british-business-bank.co.uk/cbils.

Fraud: Coronavirus

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent elderly and vulnerable people being targeted with scams related to the covid-19 outbreak.

Paul Scully: The Government is committed to protecting consumers from those who seek to profit from scams, and particularly those associated with Covid-19. The Consumer Protection Partnership of consumer advice and enforcement agencies collects regular intelligence on scams as they emerge. Citizens Advice and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute issued advice and warnings on Covid-19 related scams earlier this month. Consumers can access advice on how to spot a scam and how to report one through the Citizens Advice website. Citizens Advice refer cases onto enforcement agencies including local Trading Standards where appropriate.

Ceramics: Origin Marking

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to promote origin marking on ceramic products.

Nadhim Zahawi: Consumer law requires traders to provide consumers with information on the main characteristics of goods. This would not normally require the inclusion of origin markings for ceramic products. Where goods have a country of origin mark, there is a requirement for it to be accurate and not misleading. The Government does not have plans to change these rules.

Package Holidays: Regulation

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of temporarily suspending the application of the Package Travel Regulations for the duration of the covid-19 outbreak.

Paul Scully: Under existing consumer law, consumers are able to choose a voucher or credit note should they wish. We are engaging with the package travel sector and others to assess the impact of the covid-19 outbreak. We recognise the extremely difficult circumstances businesses are currently facing, which is why on 17 March the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an unprecedented package of support for businesses, in addition to the £30bn support announced in the budget.

Artificial Intelligence: Carbon Emissions

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the potential contribution of (a) machine learning and (b) artificial intelligence to the reduction of carbon emissions.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Government commissioned Energy Innovation Needs Assessments (EINAs), published in November 2019, looked at the role of different technologies in the UK’s future energy system. The EINAs highlighted that AI, machine learning and digital technologies are likely to play a key role in decarbonisation and the UK achieving Net Zero, and we are taking those findings into consideration when planning future innovation support.

Zero Hours Contracts: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take to support people on zero hour contracts in (a) Newport West, (b) Wales and (c) the UK as a result of the outbreak of covid-19.

Paul Scully: The Chancellor has outlined an unprecedented package of measures to protect millions of people’s jobs and incomes as part of the national effort in response to coronavirus. If infected, many people who are on Zero-Hour Contracts will be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay. Those who are not eligible to receive sick pay are able to claim Universal Credit (UC) and/or new style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), where they qualify. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is being set up to help pay people’s wages. Employers will be able to contact HMRC for a grant to cover 80% of the wages, up to a monthly cap of £2,500, for their workforce who remain on payroll but are temporarily not working during the coronavirus outbreak. This scheme aims to support all those employed through the PAYE system regardless of their employment contract, including those on zero-hour contracts. Businesses and Employees can get advice on individual employment issues by visiting the Acas website.

Animal Experiments

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding to support new approach methodologies to replace animal experiments.

Amanda Solloway: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues, including my rt. hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on a range of issues.

Nuclear Power Stations

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure the future of (a) Hartlepool and (b) other nuclear power stations.

Nadhim Zahawi: Nuclear energy currently provides around 20% of the UK’s electricity needs, powering homes and businesses in this country for over 60 years. It will continue to have an important role to play in the UK’s energy future as we transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The UK’s existing fleet of eight nuclear power stations are owned and operated by EDF Energy, and we expect EDF to generate electricity from these stations for as long as it is economically viable and safe to do so. Hartlepool is currently expected to operate until 2024. When EDF’s nuclear power stations come to the end of their generating life, they will need to be decommissioned, which will continue to provide jobs at the sites.  New nuclear projects in the UK are developer-led and it is for developers to decide whether or not to pursue building a nuclear power plant at a specific site.

Energy: Staff

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the maintenance of sufficient numbers of energy sector staff to ensure energy supplies in the event that the covid-19 outbreak escalates to peak levels of infection.

Kwasi Kwarteng: BEIS is maintaining daily contact with the energy sector. All critical energy operators have existing pandemic influenza contingency plans, which they have put into action to respond to Covid-19. BEIS and critical operators are working together to ensure they can maintain sufficient staff to continue to deliver essential services.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of energy suppliers enrolled in the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The participation threshold for energy suppliers will be lowered from 200,000 domestic customer accounts in 19/20 to 150,000 customer accounts in 20/21, covering around 97% of the consumer energy market. Smaller suppliers can join the scheme voluntarily. We will consult on the future of the scheme, including on further reductions to supplier thresholds, in the first half of this year.

Electricity and Heating: Carbon Emissions

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to decarbonise the (a) electricity and (b) heating sectors.

Kwasi Kwarteng: In 2019, the Government set a legally binding-target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from across the UK economy by 2050. The Government has introduced many initiatives to decarbonise and increase the supply of renewable energy production in the UK and have already made great strides forward. Over 50% of our power now comes from low carbon sources and coal is all but being eliminated from the mix. Earlier this month, the Government announced that onshore wind, solar and other established technologies, will be eligible for the next Contracts for Difference (CfD) allocation round in 2021. In March 2019, the Government published the Offshore Wind Sector Deal, which will build on the United Kingdom’s global leadership in offshore wind by working with the Sector to increase productivity and develop new offshore wind technologies. The Sector Deal also commits to increasing diversity in the sector, with the ambition of increasing the percentage of women and people from BAME backgrounds employed in offshore wind. The Government also announced an investment of £800 million to deploy the first carbon capture storage (CCS) cluster by the mid-2020s. We are supporting wider industrial decarbonisation by investing £500 million to support energy-intensive industries adopt low-carbon technologies, for which CCS will play a key part. We also have an ambitious programme of work already underway to support heat decarbonisation. In the Budget we announced our intention to extend the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) for 12 months, ahead of the launch of a new Clean Heat Grant scheme. We also announced a third allocation of Tariff Guarantees for the Non-Domestic RHI to continue support for large-scale plants which require investment certainty to proceed. This will help ensure continuous support before launch of the new Green Gas support scheme We are investing up to £320m, through grants and loans, to accelerate the growth of the UK heat networks market through the Heat Networks Investment Project and have launched the £16.5 million Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project, to demonstrate the feasibility of a large-scale transition to electrification of heat in Great Britain. We have announced spending of up to £121 million on hydrogen innovation and working with stakeholders to develop a comprehensive programme of work to demonstrate the technical and practical feasibility of using hydrogen in place of natural gas for heating.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to ensure that employees are not placed under pressure to continue working to complete contracts for their employers when they should self-isolate or follow social distancing measures as a result of covid-19; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: Government is clear that we must support people in work to do the right thing. We have already made plans to temporarily change the rules on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), ensuring that, for those that are eligible, SSP will be available from day 1 in the event of a severe outbreak of Covid-19. People who are eligible for SSP but unable to work because they are following Government advice, for example on self-isolation, are also entitled to SSP. Those who aren’t entitled to SSP, including those who are self-employed, may be able to claim Universal Credit and/or new-style Employment and Support Allowance. If employees can work from home, we urge employers to enable them to do so. We must all play our part to reduce the spread of the virus. In this unprecedented time, we would urge employers to take socially responsible decisions and listen to the concerns of their workforce. Employers and employees should come to a pragmatic agreement about these arrangements. If individuals need advice they should approach ACAS where they can get impartial advice about in work dispute.

Small Businesses: Government Assistance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what advice and support the Government is providing to businesses that have taken on planned seasonal debt in the low season in the expectation of being able to repay that debt in the high season but may be unable to do so as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



The Government has made a package of temporary measures available to support public services, people, and businesses through this period of significant disruption. These measures are intended to help businesses that may experience cashflow problems and include: Grant funding of up to £10,000 for small businesses in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief, administered through local authorities in England.Grant funding of up to £25,000 for retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses that own property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000.The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which offers loans of up to £5 million for small and medium-sized enterprises through the British Business Bank. We would also encourage businesses to consult their creditor in the first instance. If businesses have an existing loan or asset purchase, such as a lease or hire purchase agreement, they may wish to ask for a repayment holiday.

Pop Festivals: Repayments

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to extend the period of time that refunds must be paid to consumers for concerts and festivals in the event of cancellation.

Paul Scully: The Government does not have plans to change the rules around entitlement to refunds, which help protect consumers. Under existing consumer law, consumers are able to choose a voucher or credit note that is valid for a longer period of time, should they wish and if it is offered by the business. However, we recognise the extremely difficult circumstances businesses are currently facing, which is why on 17 March the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a wide range of support for businesses, in addition to £30bn of support announced in the budget.

Business: Loans

James Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, under what conditions registered (a) charities and (b) societies will be able to apply for support through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme .

Paul Scully: Holding answer received on 25 March 2020



Both registered charities and societies are able to apply for support through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme so long as more than 50% of their income comes from trading. The scheme was made live on 23rd March and all details can be found on the British Business Bank website at www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme-cbils/

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to repatriate British nationals who are stranded abroad as a result of covid-19.

Nigel Adams: Holding answer received on 19 March 2020



Consular teams are continuing to support British people who are experiencing disruption. If people want to return to the UK we encourage them to get in touch with their airline as soon as possible while flights remain available. We are working intensively with the Governments of those countries that have closed their borders to people travelling to and from the UK, to enable airlines to bring back British people to the UK, if that is what they want.We are also in close touch with air carriers. We encourage affected British nationals to contact their airline and insurer as a first step. We are providing direct support to individuals through our contact centre and consular teams, but call volumes are high. In the light of the rapidly changing situation, we urge all travellers to sign up for our travel advice alert service. We will keep the situation under review and remain in contact with the airline operators and authorities overseas to facilitate return travel.

India: Politics and Government

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the political situation in India.

Nigel Adams: As the world's largest and one of the world's oldest democracies, India and the UK have a broad and deep relationship. The Prime Minister discussed the strength of that relationship in a phone call with Prime Minister Modi on 12 March, in which they committed to deepening bilateral cooperation on a range of areas including trade, cultural relations, defence, and technology.

Morocco: Coronavirus

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Moroccan counterparts on ensuring the immediate safe return of British nationals from Moroccan airports unable to return to the UK as a result of most outbound flights from Morocco having been suspended due to the covid-19 outbreak.

James Cleverly: Holding answer received on 23 March 2020



We are working intensively with the Governments of those countries that have closed their borders to people travelling to and from the UK, to enable airlines to bring back British people to the UK, if that is what they want. I spoke to the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, on 18 March to ask for additional flights to enter and leave Morocco. The British Embassy in Rabat has been working with tour operators and airlines to encourage them to offer additional flights, last week we facilitated 49 flights, taking 8,520 passengers to the UK. The welfare of British nationals remains our top priority, and we are focused on supporting those around the world who are being affected by the restrictions being put in place.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the (a) UN and (b) EU on global efforts to develop a vaccine for covid-19.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to develop joint mechanisms to guide co-ordinated global efforts on the (a) development, testing and roll-out of potential cures and vaccines for viruses and the (b) establishment of a dedicated body responsible for that work.

Nigel Adams: We are in discussions with a number of our international counterparts on how we can best coordinate our Covid-19 response, including research into vaccine development. The British Government will continue to work closely with like-minded partners to ensure an effective, science-led response.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on ensuring that any vaccine developed for covid-19 is shared as widely as possible across the world.

Nigel Adams: The UK is in regular contact at the highest levels with our US partners on our joint response to the global pandemic, including discussions on how we can best coordinate our COVID-19 response and research into vaccine development. The Foreign Secretary will be speaking to my opposites in the G7 this week on this matter. An effective vaccine will be vital to the long-term control of the outbreak. To date the UK has invested £40 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), specifically for COVID-19 vaccine development, alongside our existing support to their research. The British Government will continue to work closely with like-minded partners, including the US, to ensure that any vaccine candidates are affordable and accessible to all countries across the world.The UK priority remains an effective, science-led response, supporting the WHO and other multilateral actors to contain COVID-19 and mitigate secondary health and socio-economic impacts. Our approach is guided by the Chief Medical Officer, working on the basis of the best possible scientific evidence.

Diplomatic Service: Telephone Services

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many additional staff have been seconded from other roles in his Department to staff the public consular services hotline.

Nigel Adams: Volumes of calls to our global consular contact centres are at unprecedented levels. Our staff in the consular contact centres are working around the clock to do the best they can for British people overseas. Given the dramatic increase in demand we are doubling the number of call handlers working to answer peoples' calls.

India: Coronavirus

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in India on facilitating the repatriation of UK nationals from that country.

Nigel Adams: We are working closely with local authorities, commercial airlines, and the Government of India to enable British people affected by ongoing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to get home. The Government of India announced that scheduled international commercial passenger aircraft would not be allowed to land in India from March 22 for one week. We are urgently clarifying this situation. Our consular teams are working around the clock to provide support, advice, and information.

Israel: Coronavirus

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Israel on the plans that that country has in place to repatriate Israeli nationals from overseas; and whether the UK can learn lessons from that approach.

James Cleverly: We have not had discussions on this issue. We are working closely with local authorities, commercial airlines and other diplomatic missions to enable British people to get home. Our consular team is working around the clock to provide support, advice and information. The situation is fast moving, and our advice at this time is for British nationals to secure safe accommodation and to speak to their tour operator, airline and insurance company to discuss the options available to them.

Saudi Arabia: Women's Rights

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the ongoing judicial proceedings against women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia; and whether UK officials have been granted access to attend the trial sessions.

James Cleverly: We are concerned about the continued detention of women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country, particularly because of the use of the death penalty and restrictions on women's rights, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief. We will continue to call for political detainees, including women's rights defenders, to be given adequate legal representation. We have pressed for due process and raised concerns over the use of solitary confinement and the use of torture. The UK attends trials of international importance in all countries where permitted. The UK, along with other embassies in Saudi Arabia, has requested and been denied access to each and every trial we have been aware of since October 2018, with the exception of the trials for those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. We regularly raise human rights issues with Saudi Arabia, most recently by the Foreign Secretary during his visit earlier this month.

British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of calls being answered by and (b) average cost of calls to his Department's hotline for British nationals that are attempting to return home from overseas.

Nigel Adams: Volumes of calls to our global consular contact centres are at unprecedented levels. Our staff in the consular contact centres are working around the clock to do the best they can for British people overseas. We have already reinforced our contact centres and given the dramatic increase in demand we will increase our capacity further. Those calling are charged the cost of a local rate call.

Syria: Coronavirus

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to international counterparts on tacking the transmission of covid-19 in refugee camps related to the conflict in Syria.

James Cleverly: The Foreign Secretary's current priority is to support global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19; he recognises the scale of the threat posed by COVID-19 in Syria and in Syrian refugee camps. The International Development Secretary spoke with Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, on 18 March, and agreed to work together to minimise the impact of this crisis on refugees. DFID is leading the humanitarian support for the UK's global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19, including for those in refugee camps. This includes a contribution of £10 million to the World Health Organisation to help prevent the spread of this outbreak. We will continue to monitor the situation in Syria and in Syrian refugee camps very closely.

Middle East: Antisemitism

Siobhan Baillie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Jordanian, (b) Egyptian, (c) Saudia Arabian counterparts and (d) the Palestinian Authority on the removal of reported antisemitic ideology from national curriculums.

James Cleverly: The Government is committed to combatting the rise of anti-Semitism in all its forms and we have a regular, frank and open dialogue with international partners on this issue. The International Development Secretary reiterated our concerns about allegations of incitement in Palestinian textbooks in a call to the Palestinian Education Minister just last month, during which they discussed the Palestinian Authority's review of the content of Palestinian textbooks. The Foreign Secretary discussed freedom of religion or belief with the Saudi authorities during his visit to Riyadh on 4 and 5 March. Saudi Arabia has committed to several education reform programmes including the revision of textbooks. Although we do not believe that Jordan's curriculum contains materials which promote hatred in any form, we have a major programme in support of education in Jordan. My predecessor met the Jordanian Minister of Education in January. We have a regular, positive engagement with the Egyptian authorities on freedom of religion or belief. Our Honourary Consul in Alexandria attended a service at the Synagogue of Alexandria in February to mark its reopening after refurbishment.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Medical Equipment

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new ventilators have been manufactured in the UK since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: Work preparing the National Health Service has been ongoing and we have already nearly doubled ventilator capacity. New and existing suppliers are being asked to build as many as they can. The Prime Minister has issued a call to United Kingdom industry to produce additional ventilators and the Department asked appropriate potential manufacturers on Friday 13 March to come forward with proposals for new ventilation machines. Around a dozen potential prototypes have now been presented to the Department which we are currently pursuing.

Blood: Donors

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the size of the blood stock across the National Blood Transfusion Service.

Helen Whately: NHS Blood and Transplant which is accountable to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is responsible for the provision of a safe, reliable, efficient supply of blood to hospitals in England.NHS Blood and Transplant aims to retain six days’ supply of blood at any one time. This is in addition to the stock held within hospitals, which is typically five – six days’ stock. As at 23 March, NHS Blood and Transplant had eight days’ supply of blood, including donations being processed.The situation is being monitored daily and NHS Blood and Transplant is working closely with the Department, NHS England and NHS Improvement, Public Health England, hospitals and the United Kingdom blood services.It is more vital than ever for those blood donors who are well, to keep donating so hospitals have the blood they need to treat very sick and vulnerable patients.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust: Coronavirus

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding the Government is making available to North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust to tackle the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: The Chancellor has been clear that the National Health Service will get whatever funding it needs to respond to COVID-19. Through the Emergency Response Fund, HM Treasury stands ready to provide necessary funding to support our crucial frontline NHS and public services.

University Hospital of Hartlepool: Coronavirus

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to use University Hospital of Hartlepool as a resource to tackle the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked all hospitals and National Health Service facilities across the country take action to support and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. These actions include but are not exhaustive of:Maximising inpatient and critical care capacity; preparing for, and responding to, large numbers of inpatients requiring respiratory support; supporting their staff, and maximising staff availability; support the wider population measures newly announced by Government; stress-test their operational readiness and removing routine burdens. A copy of the communication to hospitals and NHS facilities can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/urgent-next-steps-on-nhs-response-to-covid-19-letter-simon-stevens.pdf

NHS 111: Coronavirus

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure NHS 111 has the capacity to (a) handle increased calls and (b) reduce phone waiting times during the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: Around 1,000 additional call handlers have already been trained.The National Health Service has been clear that investment will increase if demand continues to rise advising that people should only call 111 if they cannot get help online. The new NHS 111 online service provides people with the right advice which frees up clinical call handlers time so that they are able to prioritise those experiencing symptoms.

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust: Coronavirus

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust on tackling covid-19.

Edward Argar: The Government is doing everything it can to tackle the pandemic and mitigate its impact. The Department is supporting the National Health Service so that it can help those who need it the most.The Chancellor has also set out a package of targeted measures which include a £5 billion emergency response fund to support the NHS and other public services. He has since reiterated that whatever resources the NHS needs, it will get.The NHS works very closely with NHS foundation trusts across England to enact these measures.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many abortions were performed after 24 weeks in (a) 2017, (b) 2018, and (c) 2019.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



Abortion statistics for 2017 and 2018 are available at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2018 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2017The number of legal abortions performed after 24 weeks in 2017 and 2018 is available in the attached table.The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on the number of legal abortions performed after 24 weeks in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 will be published on 11 June at 9:30am.  



pq32115 table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 30.97 KB)

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many live births there were before the evacuation stage of an abortion in each of the last five years.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



This data is not held by the Department.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the rate of abortion per 1,000 pregnancies among women aged 30 to 34 in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



The rate of abortion per 1,000 pregnancies amongst women aged 30-34 is not held by the Department.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the abortion rate was per 1,000 women aged 25 to 29 years old in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



The abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 25 to 29 years in 2017 and 2018 is available in the attached table.Abortion statistics for 2017 and 2018 are available at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2018 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2017 The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 25 to 29 years in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 will be published on the 11th June at 9:30am.



pq32119 table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 25.02 KB)

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent from the public purse on supporting women travelling from Northern Ireland to England and Wales for the purposes of abortion since 2018 .

Helen Whately: The cost of supporting women travelling from Northern Ireland to England to access abortion services in 2018/19 was around £1.08 million. This includes the cost of the procedure and travel and accommodation. The cost of this scheme is met by the Government Equalities Office through funding provided by HM Treasury. The cost of the scheme for 2019/20 is not yet known.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many babies survived an abortion procedure in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018 and (e) 2019.

Helen Whately: This data is not held by the Department.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department collected data on the frequency of each number of repeat abortions performed in England and Wales in 2018.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



Data on the number of repeat abortions performed in England and Wales in 2018 is available in the attached table.Abortion statistics for 2018 are available at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2018  



32132 table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 27.8 KB)

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many abortions were carried post 12 weeks gestation in (a) 2016, (b) 2017, (e) 2018 and (d) 2019, and in how many of those procedures painkillers were provided for the unborn child before the abortion.

Helen Whately: Holding answer received on 24 March 2020



The number of legal abortions performed after 12 weeks gestation in 2016, 2017 and 2018 is available in the attached table.Abortion statistics for 2016, 2017 and 2018 are available at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2018 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2017https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/report-on-abortion-statistics-in-england-and-wales-for-2016 The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on the number of legal abortions performed after 12 weeks gestation in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 will be published on 11 June at 9:30am.Data on how many of those procedures used painkillers is not held by the Department.



32134 table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 39.75 KB)

Coronavirus: Health Services

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether routine treatment will be stopped during the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: National Health Service organisations were advised, in a letter to them from NHS England and NHS Improvement dated 17 March, that they should assume to need to postpone all non-urgent elective operations from 15 April at the latest, for a period of at least three months. NHS trusts also have full local discretion to wind down elective activity over the next 30 days as they see best, to free up staff for refresher training, beds for COVID-19 patients, and theatres/recovery facilities for adaptation work. Emergency admissions, cancer treatment and other clinically urgent care should continue unaffected.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to requisition (a) private hospitals and (b) testing centres to support efforts to control and respond to the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: As announced by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on Saturday 21 March, the National Health Service has struck a deal with private hospitals to acquire thousands of extra beds, ventilators and medical staff to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.An extra 8,000 hospital beds across England, nearly 1,200 ventilators and almost 20,000 fully qualified staff will be available from next week.From this week, we plan to increase testing to 10,000 a day (up from 5,000 a day last week). Within four weeks, Public Health England and the NHS expect to be conducting 25,000 tests a day – and we will continue to increase testing capacity, up to 250,000 a day.

Intensive Care: Greater London

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people admitted to NHS Trust intensive care units in London in each week since February 1 2020.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people admitted to NHS Trust intensive care units in the Midlands in each week since February 1 2020.

Edward Argar: The number of people admitted to National Health Service trust intensive care units in London and the Midlands in each week since February 1 2020 is not available in the format requested.NHS England and NHS Improvement collect and publish weekly sitreps data over winter from acute trusts with a type 1 accident and emergency department. This includes critical care bed numbers and occupancy rates:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/winter-daily-sitreps/winter-daily-sitrep-2019-20-data/The NHS is working hard to support critically ill patients during the COVID-19 epidemic. The Chancellor recently advised that the NHS will get the resources it needs to cope with a COVID-19 epidemic.The NHS is currently scaling up intensive care beds and is working with independent sector providers to achieve this.

NHS: Sick Leave

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS workers returning to work will be subject to an interview after seven days absence in line with routine process or whether that requirement will be relaxed during the covid-19 pandemic.

Helen Whately: National Health Service employers are responsible for managing sickness absence in their organisation and it will be up to each individual employer to decide whether they continue with return to work interviews or decide to relax the process during the COVID-19 pandemic.The Department continues to commission NHS Employers to provide guidance, advice and resources for NHS trusts to manage sickness absence. A toolkit specifically designed to manage sickness absence can be found at the following link:https://www.nhsemployers.org/retention-and-staff-experience/health-and-wellbeing/action-on-sickness-absenceNHS organisations need to take a collaborative approach to supporting staff and this includes closer working with occupational health providers who can provide proactive support and guidance to staff who may be more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Coronavirus

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much Official Development Assistance (ODA) is being allocated to reduce the (a) spread and (b) effect of covid-19 in developing countries; and what ODA is being spent on with regard to that infection.

James Cleverly: The UK is at the forefront of the global response to COVID-19. We are using UK aid to its full effect to counter the health, humanitarian and economic risks of this global pandemic. We have committed up to £544 million of UK aid to combat COVID-19 and to reinforce the global effort to find a vaccine. We are keeping all further international funding under regular review.The UK’s response includes:- Support channelled through multilateral partners, including funding in response to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Strategic Response Plan which will help prevent the spread of this pandemic by supporting developing countries to rapidly identify and care for patients with symptoms.- Investment in research and development to support the development of a possible vaccine, as well as more immediate gains such as rapid diagnostics and therapeutics.- Up to £150 million to the International Monetary Fund’s Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust, to help enable developing countries to direct greater resources to their healthcare efforts, helping prevent the virus from spreading around the world.

Department for Education

Assessments: Coronavirus

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, if he will take steps to support exam boards that experience increases in requests for special consideration.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure that young people can sit (a) GCSE and (b) A-level examinations following the closing of schools.

Nick Gibb: On 16 March, the Government announced that all exams due to take place in schools and colleges in England this summer would be cancelled as part of the fight to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Department’s priority is to ensure that students can move on as planned to the next stage of their lives, including starting university, college or sixth form courses or apprenticeships in the autumn. For GCSE, A and AS level students, we will make sure they are awarded a grade which reflects their work. Our intention is that a grade will be awarded this summer based on the best available evidence, including any non-exam assessment that students have already completed. The qualifications regulator Ofqual is working urgently with the exam boards to set out proposals for how this process will work and more information will be provided as soon as possible. Given that exams will not be taking place, the normal special consideration arrangements will not apply to the awarding of grades this summer.We recognise that some students may nevertheless feel disappointed that they haven’t been able to sit their exams. If they do not believe the correct process has been followed in their case, they will be able to appeal on that basis. In addition, if they do not feel their calculated grade reflects their performance, they will have the opportunity to sit an exam, once schools and colleges are open again. The existing special consideration arrangements will apply to any students who experience exceptional circumstances when sitting those exams: as we expect that many fewer students will be sitting the exams than in a normal exam series we are confident that the exam boards’ existing systems will be able to cope with the likely volume of such requests.

Students: Coronavirus

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to provide support for disadvantaged students that may find it difficult to study at home during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: The Department is ensuring that the most vulnerable children, including those who have a social worker or an Education, Health and Care Plan, are able to continue attending school during the COVID-19 outbreak, as school is a well-recognised protective factor.We recognise that many schools have already started sharing resources for students who are at home and are grateful for this. We are working with the BBC and other partners to provide advice and support directly to schools, parents and carers including online resources parents can access for their children at home.

Students: Coronavirus

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to provide support for (a) GCSE and (b) A-Level students that are required to self-isolate as a result of having covid-19 symptoms.

Nick Gibb: As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced to the House on 18 March, the Government has taken the difficult decision to cancel all examinations due to take place in schools and colleges in England this summer, as part of the fight to prevent the spread of coronavirus.The Department’s priority is to ensure that students can move on as planned to the next stage of their lives, including starting university, college or sixth form, a job or an apprenticeship in the autumn. For GCSE, AS and A-level students, we will ensure they are awarded a grade which reflects their work. A calculated grade will be awarded this summer based on the best available evidence, including any non-examination assessment that students have already completed. The qualifications regulator, Ofqual, is working urgently with examination boards to set out proposals for how this process will work and more information will be provided as soon as possible.We recognise that many schools have already shared resources for children who are at home and are grateful for this.The Department is working with the BBC and other partners to provide advice and support directly to parents, including online resources they can access for their children at home.

Homework

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will issue guidance to schools on the setting of homework by teachers after the schools shut on Friday 20 March 2020.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will issue guidance to schools on the use of school homework apps to enable pupils to study during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nick Gibb: We recognise that many schools have already shared resources for children who are at home.The Department is working with the BBC and other partners to provide advice and support directly to parents, including online resources they can access for their children at home.

GCE A-Level and GCSE: Assessments

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that arrangements for Summer 2020 GCSE and A Level examinations are communicated to parents, pupils and schools.

Nick Gibb: As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced to the House on 18 March, the Government has taken the difficult decision to cancel all examinations due to take place in schools and colleges in England this summer, as part of the fight to prevent the spread of coronavirus.The Department’s priority is to ensure that students can move on as planned to the next stage of their lives, including starting university, college or sixth form courses, jobs or apprenticeships, in the autumn. For GCSE, AS and A-level students, we will ensure they are awarded a grade which reflects their work. Our intention is that a calculated grade will be awarded this summer based on the best available evidence, including any non-examination assessment that students have already completed. Ofqual, the qualifications regulator is working urgently with examination boards to set out proposals for how this process will work and more information will be provided as soon as possible.The Department recognises that some students may nevertheless feel disappointed that they have not been able to sit their examinations. If they do not believe the correct process has been followed in their case, they will be able to appeal on that basis. In addition, if they do not feel their calculated grade reflects their performance, they will have the opportunity to sit an examination, as soon as is reasonably possible after the beginning of the new academic year. Students will also have the option to sit their examinations in summer 2021.This information was published on GOV.UK and was communicated directly to all schools and colleges, and further information will be communicated via the same channels as it becomes available. We expect schools and colleges to ensure that all students and parents are aware of all relevant information.

Ministry of Justice

Mortuaries

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate has the Department made of the size of mortuary space in (a) England, (b) Greater London and (c) the London Borough of Barnet.

Alex Chalk: Government is putting in place a range of measures to ensure the UK is prepared to manage the impacts of a Covid-19 outbreak. Part of this planning is ensuring we are prepared for higher numbers of people dying over the period of the pandemic.Ensuring the deceased are treated with dignity and respect whilst minimising the risks to public health is at the forefront of Government planning. Measures underway will increase capacity at a local level to manage additional demand.The Government’s Action Plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-action-plan) sets out planning principles that underpin the response to the Covid-19 outbreak. As part of this response, provisions have been included in the Coronavirus Bill which will ensure the sector can manage the impact of the pandemic.

Cemeteries

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what economic assessment he has made of the effect of transferring closed burial grounds from the Church of England to local authorities.

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding is available for local authorities to maintain burial grounds.

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many closed churchyards have been transferred from the Church of England to local authorities in Staffordshire since 2010.

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Burial Act 1854 and the financial effect of its provision on local authorities.

Alex Chalk: Historically, the Church of England has made burial provision for local communities, and continues to do so. The transfer of responsibility for closed churchyards to local authorities returns the accountability for their maintenance to the community as a whole. Local authority spending priorities are a matter for local discretion.Data on the transfer of responsibility for closed churchyards to local authorities is not held centrally.The Law Commission’s current Programme of Law Reform includes a project to consider streamlining and modernising the law governing the disposal of human remains, with a view to putting forward a legal framework for the future.

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serving prisoners were out of prison on temporary licence in each day in the latest month for which figures are available; and what offences each of those prisoners had committed.

Chris Philp: All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a thorough risk assessment before being considered for release on temporary licence (ROTL). ROTL is proven to reduce reoffending, helping offenders build and maintain family ties as well as find work. The attached table gives the number of prisoners on release on temporary licence (ROTL) on each day of September 2019, broken down by the relevant offence group for the principal offence for which they were sentenced to imprisonment.  



Table 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 23.39 KB)

Reoffenders: Prison Sentences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time served in prison by (a) men and (b) women that had been given life sentences was for those that were released from prison in each of the last five years.

Chris Philp: The attached tables show the mean and median average time served by men and women sentenced to life imprisonment who were released from custody in each of the last five years. Public protection is our priority. It is for the independent Parole Board to review the detention of those prisoners serving life sentences who have completed their tariff period. The Board will direct the release of these prisoners only if it is satisfied that the levels of risk posed to the general public are reduced enough that the National Probation Service and its partner agencies can safely manage them in the community using the powers available to them.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.43 KB)

Terrorism: Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners convicted of terrorist-related offences were released on temporary licence in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: No prisoners who are currently serving a custodial sentence for a terrorist-related offence were released on temporary licence (ROTL) in England and Wales between October 2018 and September 2019. This is the latest annual data available. No terrorist or terrorist-risk offenders are currently eligible to be released on temporary licence. This policy is under regular review. ROTL enables offenders to participate in activities outside of prison, directly contributing to community resettlement, helping with their rehabilitation and development of a purposeful, law-abiding life. There is no entitlement to ROTL. It is discretionary and only allowed following a robust risk assessment of each offender.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2020 to Question 13458 on Prisons: Crimes of Violence, what the average number of additional days was for additional days punishments in each year from 2011 to 2018.

Lucy Frazer: The prisoner discipline system upholds justice in prisons and ensures incidents of prison rule-breaking have consequences. Only Independent Adjudicators, who are District Judges or Deputy District Judges can make an award of additional days to a prisoner’s custodial time left to serve. The information requested can be found in the table attached.  



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.19 KB)

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2020 to Question 13458 on Prisons: Crimes of Violence, what estimate he has made of the number of prison officer assaults that have been charged as assaults on an emergency worker since the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018.

Lucy Frazer: It is not possible to identify the number of prison officer assaults that have been charged under the Assault on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018. This information would need to be requested from each prison who in turn will need to request information from their local police force to obtain this data which will require a high level or resource and will be at a disproportionate cost. Convictions under the Assault on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 may be held on court record but to be able to identify these cases we would have to access individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost, as there will also be a need to sift through each case to identify whether the emergency worker was a prison officer as this piece of legislation covers other workers such as police officers, NHS workers, National Crime Agency officers etc.

Prisoner Escapes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2020 to Question 1219, on Prisoner Escapes, how long each offender has been out of prison; and what the circumstances were that led to the escape in each case.

Lucy Frazer: Escapes are rare but every security breach is treated seriously. Escaped prisoners recaptured by police face prosecution and face additional security measures on return to prison.Please find below the information on the number of days prisoners have remained at large following an escape. Latest published data on escapes is available up to 2018-19, all prisoners who have escaped during this period have been recaptured.  Financial YearEscaped FromDays At Large2016-17Prison Establishment02016-17Prison Establishment42016-17Prison Establishment22016-17Prison Establishment52016-17HMPPS Escort02016-17HMPPS Escort02016-17HMPPS Escort3662016-17Contractor Escort02016-17Contractor Escort92016-17Contractor Escort02016-17Contractor Escort32016-17Contractor Escort22016-17Contractor Escort02016-17Contractor Escort02016-17Contractor Escort522017-18Prison Establishment22017-18HMPPS Escort12017-18HMPPS Escort02017-18HMPPS Escort282017-18Contractor Escort122017-18Contractor Escort22017-18Contractor Escort32017-18Contractor Escort02017-18Contractor Escort02017-18Contractor Escort02017-18Contractor Escort12017-18Contractor Escort82017-18Contractor Escort02018-19Prison Establishment132018-19HMPPS Escort02018-19HMPPS Escort42018-19Contractor Escort02018-19Contractor Escort02018-19Contractor Escort62018-19Contractor Escort02018-19Contractor Escort02018-19Contractor Escort0 Data Sources and QualityThese figures have been drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System.Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although the figures are shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level. We are unable to provide any further details of the circumstances of the escapes due to security reasons.

Prisoner Escapes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2020 to Question 1219, on Prisoner Escapes, if he will make it is his policy to release the names of absconders to (a) inform and (b) seek information from the public on those absconders' whereabouts.

Lucy Frazer: When a prisoner absconds, police are immediately notified and are responsible for locating the offender. The majority of absconders are quickly recaptured and returned to custody where they face serious consequences. These include serving up to two additional years on conviction. Prisoners subject to parole decisions, will likely face even longer delays to their release. We collaborate with the police in order to recapture those who abscond and prosecute in line with the Crime in Prison Referral Agreement. As part of that process the police decide whether releasing names is necessary to aid the investigation. We publish statistics annually on the number of prisoners who have absconded and those still at large as to inform the public.

Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offences in (a) Magistrates Courts and (b) Crown Courts were marked as receiving no separate penalty in the latest year for which information is available.

Chris Philp: Detailed information on the number of offences that were marked as receiving no separate penalty is not centrally held. This information may be held on court record but to be able to identify these cases we would have to access individual court records which would be of disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing: Coronavirus

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support private renters that cannot pay their rent as a result of being unemployed or receiving Statutory Sick Pay or other social security benefits due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Christopher Pincher: On 18 March, we announced a radical package of measures to protect renters and landlords affected by coronavirus. Emergency legislation has been brought forward as an urgent priority so that landlords will not be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period. As a result of these measures, no renter in private or social accommodation needs to be concerned about the threat of eviction during this time.Tenants will continue to be liable for their rent, and those tenants who can afford to pay should continue to do so. The Government also announced unprecedented measures to support workers to stay in work during this period by paying up to 80 per cent of their wages, increasing the amount available to welfare claimants and raising the Local Housing Allowance rate to the 30th percentile, supporting tenants who may have already been struggling with their rent. These significant financial measures will help to support tenants to continue to pay their living costs, including rental payments.

Private Rented Housing: Coronavirus

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to ensure that no one is evicted from rented accommodation while self-isolating as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Christopher Pincher: On 18 March, we announced a radical package of measures to protect renters and landlords affected by coronavirus. Emergency legislation has been taken forward as an urgent priority so that landlords will not be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period. As a result of these measures, no renter in private or social accommodation needs to be concerned about the threat of eviction.More information on these plans can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/complete-ban-on-evictions-and-additional-protection-for-renters.

Local Government Finance: Coronavirus

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will increase funding to all local authorities to provide financial support for people who struggle to meet increased food costs as a result of the effect of Covid-19; and if he will make statement.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Government has announced £1.6 billion of additional funding to support local authorities in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. This funding is un-ringfenced and is intended to help local authorities address any pressures they are facing in response the Covid-19 pandemic, across all service areas. We will continue to monitor the impact of Covid-19 on local government and are taking steps to address and support individuals and local authorities.We have also confirmed £500 million of funding to provide additional council tax relief, and other support, for vulnerable households.Additionally, the Government is working with the food industry and local authorities to deliver free basic food parcels to those defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable from Covid-19 and who do not have a network of friends and family to support them, while they self-isolate in their homes over the next 12 weeks.Further details on people covered by this definition can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

Private Rented Housing: Coronavirus

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect people renting residential properties during the covid-19 outbreak.

Christopher Pincher: On 18 March, we announced a radical package of measures to protect renters and landlords affected by coronavirus. Emergency legislation has been taken forward as an urgent priority so that landlords will not be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period. As a result of these measures, no renter in private or social accommodation needs to be concerned about the threat of eviction.More information on these plans can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/complete-ban-on-evictions-and-additional-protection-for-renters.

Private Rented Housing: Coronavirus

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support private renters affected by covid-19.

Christopher Pincher: On 18 March, we announced a radical package of measures to protect renters and landlords affected by coronavirus. Emergency legislation has been brought forward as an urgent priority so that landlords will not be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period. As a result of these measures, no renter in private or social accommodation needs to be concerned about the threat of eviction.

Affordable Housing: Greater London

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many affordable homes have been constructed in London in each of the last three years.

Christopher Pincher: Comprehensive estimates of all affordable housing delivered are published in the Department’s Affordable Housing Supply Statistical Release at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/affordable-housing-supply-in-england-2018-to-2019.A breakdown of the affordable housing delivered in London, identifying new build, in each of the last three years, is available in live table 1011C.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply.

Law of Property Act 1925

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 18 February 2020 to Question 14608, when he plans to introduce the legislation to repeal Section 121 of the Law of Property Act 1925.

Christopher Pincher: The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for homeowners and ensuring that consumers are protected from abuse and poor service.The Government is aware that homeowners could be subject to a possession order or the granting of a lease of their home by the rentcharge owner over rentcharge arrears. As part of our leasehold reform work we have committed to repeal Section 121 of the Law of Property Act 1925 to ensure homeowners are not subjected to unfair possession orders. This will be pursued when Parliamentary time allows.The Government also intends to legislate to ensure that freehold homeowners who pay estate rentcharges have the right to challenge their reasonableness and to go to the tribunal to appoint a new management company if necessary.

Private Rented Housing: Coronavirus

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to amend the process for private renters to leave Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreements early if they can no longer afford to pay rent as a result of covid-19.

Christopher Pincher: Depending on the contractual provisions of the tenancy agreement, during the fixed term a tenant can still exercise a break clause in the tenancy agreement or negotiate a surrendering of the tenancy with the landlord. There are no plans to amend the existing process for surrendering a tenancy or to make changes to the basic contractual position of the tenant remaining liable for the rent for the whole of the fixed term.On 18 March, we announced a radical package of measures to protect renters and landlords affected by coronavirus. Emergency legislation has been brought forward as an urgent priority so that landlords will not be able to start proceedings to evict tenants for at least a three-month period. As a result of these measures, no renter in private or social accommodation needs to be concerned about the threat of eviction during this time.

Business Improvement Districts: Coronavirus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what financial support will be provided to Business Improvement Districts facing a reduction in income caused by businesses not paying business rates during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr Simon Clarke: We have announced a substantial package of support to businesses, and we are exploring other ways we can support them.At present, businesses within a Business Improvement District (BID) will still need to pay into their BID to ensure the BID body can still provide vital support to their local business communities.We know that a number of BIDs are currently in the process of issuing their bills to members, and we would hope that they can come to sensible arrangements on charging given the current circumstances.The Coronavirus Act also includes new measures to support BIDs: we have introduced a delay to BID ballots due to take place between now and 31 December 2020 until March 2021. This will ensure that they are conducted in a safe and effective way.

Small Businesses: Coronavirus

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, n what his timescale is for issuing guidance to local authorities on their role in (a) allocating and (B) disbursing the grants to small business during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr Simon Clarke: On 20 March 2020 the Chancellor built on his 11 March Budget statement by announcing a comprehensive series of measures supporting wages, cash-flow for businesses and the welfare system. In England, this support includes small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief.In addition, grant funding of up to £25,000 will be available for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount. Eligible businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of up to and including £15,000 will receive a grant of £10,000, while businesses in these sectors with a property that has a rateable value of over £15,000 and less than £51,000 will receive a grant of £25,000.Funding will be administered by local authorities. The Business Secretary has sent a letter outlining these schemes to local authorities and guidance informing local authorities about the operation and delivery of the funding schemes is now available on the GOV.UK website at www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Moorland

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on the burning of moors in his Department's ownership.

Jeremy Quin: Ministry of Defence infrastructure and estate policy is set out in JSP850. This policy states that Integrated Rural Management Plans (IRMPs), integrating military requirements with the natural and historic environment, must be in place for all protected landscapes.Example IRMP objectives include instructions prohibiting the burning of sensitive areas and directions to conduct heather management through cutting and controlled burning.Heather burning forms part of the Natural England management requirements where appropriate. The Department also adheres to this policy.

Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will issue guidance to pensioners who collect their state pension payments in cash on how they can collect their pension safely in the event they need to self-isolate during the covid-19 outbreak.

Guy Opperman: As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that everyone should be supported to do the right thing. We are urgently looking into ways to provide payments to those at home without access to mainstream banking during these unprecedented times and are working tirelessly to find solutions.

State Retirement Pensions

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged 100 years old and over receive the state pension in each country outside the UK.

Guy Opperman: The table below provides how many people aged 100 years old and over, who receive the State Pension in each country outside the UK.  CaseloadAbroad not known20Alderney-Australia340Austria-Bangladesh-Barbados10Belgium-Benin-Bermuda-Brazil-Canada190Cayman Islands-Chile-Cyprus10Denmark-Djibouti-Equatorial Guinea-France30Germany10Greece-Guernsey10Hong Kong-India-Israel10Italy20Jamaica70Jersey10Kenya-Latvia-Lithuania-Luxembourg-Monaco-Montserrat-New Zealand150Norway-Not known20Pakistan20Poland-Portugal-Republic of Ireland100Republic of Yemen10Sierra Leone-Somalia-South Africa30Spain50St Kitts and Nevis-St Lucia-St Vincent and The Grenadines-Sweden-Switzerland-Thailand-The Netherlands-Trinidad and Tobago-United Arab Emirates-USA210Zimbabwe-  Total1,390Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, August 2019.Caseload figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.Caseloads identified with ‘-‘ are negligible, but non-zero.Caseloads exclude suspended cases.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Seals

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to eliminate seal shooting in UK waters before the US Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provision Rule deadline of 1 January 2022.

Victoria Prentis: Under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970, it is an offence to take or kill common and grey seals out of season (when they have pups) or to use certain methods to kill or take, unless permitted to do so under exceptional circumstances or by a licence issued under the Act. In the last ten years there have been no licenses issued to shoot seals to protect aquaculture or fisheries interests in England. The UK Government and devolved administrations are in regular dialogue with the EU, the United States and stakeholders about our US Marine Mammal Protection Act preparation, including any implications for UK seal licensing regimes, to ensure future access to US markets.

Food Supply: Coronavirus

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to engage with food manufacturers and the food manufacturing supply chain to protect food availability.

Victoria Prentis: The Government has well-established ways of working with the food industry during disruption to supply situations. The industry are working around the clock to ensure people have the food and products they need. Industry is adapting quickly to any changes in demands, and food supply into and across the UK is resilient. The Secretary of State is holding regular conversations with industry to discuss any additional support Government can provide. To help industry respond to this unprecedented demand we have already introduced new measures to keep food supply flowing. We have issued guidance to local authorities to allow extended delivery hours to supermarkets so that shelves can be filled up quicker, and we have implemented extensions to drivers’ hours. We are also temporarily relaxing certain elements of competition law to ensure retailers are able to collaborate effectively in the national interest. The Government is also implementing a system to support those whose underlying health conditions mean they are at highest clinical risk for COVID-19, and who are therefore being asked to self-isolate for the main period of the coronavirus epidemic. This will include a free grocery pack containing a basic selection of food and other essential household items which will be delivered to those at home and unable to make other arrangements for as long as needed throughout that period. We will continue to work closely with the industry over the coming days and months.

Wood-burning Stoves

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support consumers moving from wood-burning stoves to more environmentally friendly alternatives.

Rebecca Pow: The Government has a range of support mechanisms in place. There are Government initiatives for those living in fuel poverty burning solid fuels. The Energy Company Obligation is a requirement on larger energy suppliers to reduce heating costs through the installation of energy efficiency measures and new heating systems. It includes the installation of central heating in homes which have not had it before. Additionally, there is a minimum requirement to deliver measures in rural areas and incentives to deliver to homes off the gas grid. The Private Rented Sector Regulation 2019 also requires landlords to improve the energy performance of F&G rated properties they let out. Looking ahead, the Government is planning to publish a Heat and Buildings Strategy later this year, which will set out the immediate actions we will take for reducing emissions from buildings. In addition, we recently announced proposals to introduce legislation for cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels. This will introduce restrictions on the sale of wet wood for domestic burning so that it can only be purchased in volumes over 2m3. Burning a dry log which has below 20% moisture can reduce emissions by 50% compared with a log which has not been dried. It is also much more cost effective to burn on a heat output basis, and leaves less tar and soot in the appliance and chimney. Therefore dry wood will still be available for sale under these proposals.

Public Health: Plumbing

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if people carrying out essential drain and plumbing work can be classed as key workers to maintain public health.

Rebecca Pow: The list of key workers published on the GOV.UK website includes those providing essential roles in the water sector (including sewerage). www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision Guidance for tradespeople carrying out repairs and maintenance in people’s homes can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance.

Food: Prices

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that food prices are affordable for consumers during the covid-19 outbreak.

Victoria Prentis: We have a highly resilient food supply chain and representatives of our leading supermarkets and throughout the supply chain are working to ensure that people have the food and products they need. The industry continues to monitor the situation closely and is taking necessary steps to address issues where they arise. Retailers are working hard to mitigate any disruption to their supply chains that could impact on their costs, to keep customer prices down as far as possible. The Government is in regular engagement with industry leaders. We have already introduced a wide range of new measures to make sure businesses can continue to keep food supply flowing, such as relaxation of competition laws to allow retailers to work together to ensure stores are open and stocked. We have also extended delivery hours to supermarkets and are flexing rules on drivers’ hours for all sectors. The Government does not set consumer food prices or comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by industry.

Houseboats: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support people living on the waterways during the covid-19 outbreak; what plans he has to lift the current requirements for boaters vessels to not stay moored in one place longer than two weeks; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is clear that the single most important action we can all take in fighting coronavirus is to stay at home in order to protect the NHS and save lives. We have announced a range of measures to support people and communities, including: a £500 million fund for households experiencing financial hardship; a coronavirus Job Retention Scheme where small and large employers will be eligible to apply for a Government grant of 80% of workers’ salaries up to £2,500 a month; deferral of the next quarter of VAT payments for firms; and £330 billion of Government-backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses. We have also made significant changes to the operation of statutory sick pay, universal credit, and employment and support allowance to ensure that people have quicker and more generous access to a support system, and we have taken further immediate steps to give businesses access cash to pay their rent, salaries or suppliers. The Government is continuously reviewing decisions to reflect the rapidly changing environment in response to Covid-19. Responsibility for inland waterways, including their operation, development or restoration, rests with the bodies that own them and with the relevant navigation authority. The two largest navigation authorities, the Canal and River Trust and the Environment Agency, are following Government guidance. Boaters should limit movement to all but essential travel to access services and continue to follow Government guidance. The Canal and River Trust is suspending the requirement to move every 14 days; the suspension will be kept under review in line with revised Government guidance. The Environment Agency and other navigation authorities will also be updating their guidance and mooring conditions for boaters to reflect and enable only essential travel, and will be reviewing this position on an ongoing basis in line with Government guidance on movement. Those who are unable to move as a result of self-isolation or other virus-related impacts are asked to contact the relevant navigation authority directly to discuss their circumstances on a case by case basis. The Government will continue to review the situation.

Home Office

Windrush Lessons Learned Review

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will publish the Windrush lessons learned review; and if she will make a statement.

Priti Patel: I published the Windrush Lessons Learned Review and made a statement on 19 March 2020.

Asylum: Saudi Arabia

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Saudi citizens applied for asylum in the UK in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019.

Chris Philp: The Home Office publishes data on the number of asylum applications received by the UK in the chapter ‘How many people do we grant asylum or protection to?’ in the quarterly ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseData on the number of asylum applications broken down by nationality are available in tables Asy_D01 of the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement datasets’.Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the year ending December 2019.Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the ‘summary tables’. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on asylum and resettlement.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’. https://www.gov.uk/search/research-and-statistics?keywords=immigration&content_store_document_type=upcoming_statistics&organisations%5B%5D=home-office&order=relevance

Asylum: Finance

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether additional support will be provided to asylum seekers using ASPEN cards to ensure they have access to sufficient food and supplies during the covid-19 outbreak.

Chris Philp: We take the welfare of our service users very seriously and we are considering a range of options to ensure that ensure service users have sufficient support during the COVID 10 outbreak, ensuring that we are adhering to Public Health England guidance.

Immigrants: Coronavirus

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to protect migrants unable to attend (a) reporting appointments, (b) court dates and (c) interviews self-isolating during the covid-19 outbreak from being penalised.

Chris Philp: Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 16 March, and Public Health England (PHE) advice in relation to COVID-19, Home Office Immigration Enforcement are reviewing the frequency with which people need to report. While this goes ahead, we have temporarily deferred reporting.We will continue to contact all those who report via SMS text message with details of their future reporting dates and will keep this under review in light of the ongoing situation.

Cabinet Office

Prime Minister: Email

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the email account ideasfornumber10@gmail.com complies with Government standards in relation to cyber security.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the process of hiring Andrew Sabisky included communication through the email account ideasfornumber10@gmail.com.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the email account ideasfornumber10@gmail.com is managed by civil servants.

Chloe Smith: I refer the Hon. Gentleman to the answer by the Rt. Hon. Member for Hertsmere (Oliver Dowden) of 14 January 2020 (PQ 1411).Dominic Cummings’ blog invited people to get in touch to discuss opportunities, and did not set out proposed recruitment processes. As this activity was not conducted by government, the Government does not hold information generated by it, including within the email account. This was not part of the appointment process of Special Advisers, Civil Servants or contractors by government.Information contained within the email account is overseen by the Downing Street Political Office.

Elections

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release, Government safeguards UK elections, published on 5 May 2019, what the consultation on electoral integrity will cover.

Chloe Smith: The Government remains committed to ensuring elections are secure and fit for the modern age. Further detail will be announced in due course.

Treasury

Bank Cards: Coronavirus

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has made to credit and debit card companies and retail banks on raising the £30 limit on contactless payments to reduce physical interaction in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

John Glen: Industry will increase the cap on the value of contactless transactions from 1 April, and shops will begin accepting payments up to £45. The Treasury is working closely with industry and the financial regulators to ensure the steps they take are properly coordinated with Government’s wider economic response to COVID-19.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will cease charging (a) distilleries and (b) breweries duty on the alcohol that they produce in the event that they switch production and utilise that alcohol to make sanitiser.

Jesse Norman: Alcohol produced for an approved medical, scientific or industrial purpose is already exempt from duty. Organisations wishing to produce alcohol for such a purpose will need to seek prior approval from HMRC. In light of the current situation, HMRC are fast-tracking applications and temporarily relaxing controls. Licensed distillers and gin producers operating in excise warehouses may now use their stocks to produce hand sanitiser without HMRC approval, provided it is made to WHO standards or the alcohol used is denatured to prescribed formulations. Further information can be found on GOV.UK:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/producing-hand-sanitiser-and-gel-for-coronavirus-covid-19

Primary Health Care: Non-domestic Rates

Sir David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to include medical premises such as dental practices in the (a) business rate relief and (b) loan and grant scheme that has been announced to tackle the economic effect of covid-19.

Jesse Norman: At present properties providing medical services, including dental practices, are not eligible for the business rates Expanded Retail Discount. Information on the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which launched on Monday 23 March, is available on the British Business Bank’s website. Medical premises may be eligible for small business grant funding of £10,000 where the property is eligible for small business rate relief. The Government stands ready to provide further financial support to businesses and individuals as necessary.

Personal Care Services: Coronavirus

Robert Largan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support hairdressers affected by covid-19.

Steve Barclay: The government has announced a significant package of financial support for businesses and employees. Further details of this package are available at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk

Small Businesses: Coronavirus

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.103 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, whether the criteria for a sound borrowing proposal under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will be the same as that under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.103 of the Budget 2020 Red Book, how a sound borrowing proposal under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will be assessed in the event that social distancing as a result of covid-19 may continue indefinitely.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Early Years providers which experience material deductions in revenue due to the covid-19 outbreak will be eligible for financial support under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether new start-up businesses that have not made substantial revenue will be eligible for finance under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether supporting a business’ immediate cash flow is considered to be a sound borrowing proposal under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

Steve Barclay: Officials are working at pace to deliver the measures for small businesses as announced by the Chancellor. The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which will provide financing facilities for SMEs of up to £5 million, was launched on Monday 23 March.Under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the government will provide lenders with a guarantee of 80% on each loan (subject to a per-lender cap on claims) to give lenders further confidence in continuing to provide finance to SMEs. Lenders will pay a small fee to access the scheme. The government will not charge businesses for this guarantee, and to provide additional support at this difficult time, will also cover the interest costs and fees for the first 12 months. Altogether, these features of the scheme will help borrowers by making external finance more affordable at this difficult time. All viable UK-based businesses with a turnover of less than £45m will be eligible to apply for a loan under the scheme. This scheme is part of a comprehensive package of measures designed to support small businesses facing difficulties in this period of uncertainty, which also includes: a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme; the deferring VAT and Income Tax payments; statutory sick pay relief package for SMEs; and a small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief. Further detail of government support is available at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk

Wealth: Coastal Areas

Mike Hill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what additional funding is being made available to tackle wealth inequality in coastal communities throughout the UK.

Steve Barclay: This Government will level up every region and nation of the UK, spreading opportunity and ensuring everyone benefits from growth. Coastal communities will benefit from the major investment announced at the Budget, including a share of £5bn to support the rollout of gigabit broadband and the next £5.2bn for flood and coastal defence. This builds on the £3.6bn Towns Fund where 36 coastal communities, including Hartlepool, are eligible for Town Deals as well as support through the Coastal Communities Fund.

Business: Coronavirus

Mike Hill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support large industrial businesses affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

John Glen: A range of measures to support all businesses has been made available. These include the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, allowing businesses to benefit from loans of up to £5m, with the first 12 months interest free, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help keep people in employment. This scheme means businesses can put workers on temporary leave and the government will pay them cash grants of 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2,500, providing they keep the worker employed. They will receive the grant from HMRC, and all UK organisations can self-certify that it has furloughed employees. The scheme will cover the cost of wages backdated to 1 March. Further details of the significant package of financial support for businesses and employees are available at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk

Further Education: Finance

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on providing (a) simple and (b) quick routes for colleges to (i) identify and (ii) secure cashflow support.

Steve Barclay: Treasury Ministers remain in close contact with their counterparts at the Department for Education on the UK’s COVID-19 response. The Government is committed to supporting the education sector as it faces this challenge. We have confirmed that the Education & Skills Funding Agency will continue to pay grant-funded providers their scheduled monthly payments for the remainder of the year. Because of the activity-based funding model for apprenticeships, both the Treasury and Department for Education are exploring the impact of the current disruption with training providers. For colleges in significant difficulties, the existing support arrangements remain in place, including emergency funding. We are working to develop more detailed operational guidance, which will be circulated as soon as possible. Colleges should speak to their ESFA territorial teams for further guidance on issues relating to funding.

Research: Coronavirus

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) a financial assistance package for early-stage R&D companies in the (i) life sciences and (ii) other sectors that includes rapidly available grants for loss-making companies and (b) increasing the level of R&D tax-credits including in relation to the percentage of surrenderable loss repayable in cash during the covid-19  outbreak.

Steve Barclay: The government is committed to supporting innovative businesses to grow, as part of the strategy to increase economy-wide investment in R&D to 2.4% of GDP by 2027. At the 2020 Budget, government announced it would increase public investment in R&D to £22bn by 2024-25. Detailed allocations of this funding will be set out in due course. Budget 2020 also announced the R&D Expenditure Credit rate would be increased to 13%, providing an additional £1bn over the next 5 years. The government offers two R&D tax relief schemes which are internationally competitive. The government keeps all tax reliefs under review to ensure they remain well-targeted, and will continue to monitor whether further support for businesses is required through the tax system.In response to the Covid-19 outbreak, the government has announced a significant package of financial support for businesses and employees. Further details of this package are available at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk

Third Sector: Coronavirus

Scott Benton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to provide financial support to third sector organisations in financial difficulties as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Scott Benton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to provide financial assistance to third sector organisations that experience an increase in demand following the closure of community-based services as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Steve Barclay: Charities, social enterprises and other third sector organisations will benefit from the new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The government has announced an unprecedented package of financial support that will also support charities and social enterprises, including small business grants. Many charities are already eligible for 80% charitable rate relief, they will benefit from the new enhanced retail rate relief at 100%. Further detail of government support is available at: www.businesssupport.gov.uk

Corporation Tax: Coronavirus

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support businesses that do not have premises that are rateable but pay corporation tax during the covid-19 outbreak.

Steve Barclay: A range of measures to support all businesses has been made available. These include the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, allowing businesses to benefit from loans of up to £5m, with the first 12 months of that finance interest free, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help keep people in employment. This scheme means businesses can put workers on temporary leave and the government will pay them cash grants of 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2,500, providing they keep the worker employed. They will receive the grant from HMRC, and all UK organisations can self-certify that it has furloughed employees. The scheme will cover the cost of wages backdated to March 1st.

Beer: Industry

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to guarantee wages of employees who work in the brewing industry and supply chain during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: The Government has announced a significant package of financial support for businesses and employees. Further details of this package are available at: http://www.businesssupport.gov.uk.

Broadband: Northern Ireland

Claire Hanna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Project Stratum funding for Northern Ireland to provide digital broadband across rural areas is still in place.

Steve Barclay: The Confidence and Supply financial annex committed the UK Government to providing £1 billion to Northern Ireland, including £150 million for broadband. To date, £763 million has been released. Any release of further funding would take place following Parliament’s approval in the normal way through the Estimates process. At the Budget, the Government also committed £5bn to support the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to the most difficult-to-reach 20% of the country. This funding will have benefits across the UK, particularly in rural areas.

Charities and Tourism: VAT

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing VAT relief to support the charity and tourism sectors during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: On 20 March, the Government announced that all UK VAT registered businesses, which include charities and businesses in the tourism sector, can defer VAT payments due with their VAT returns between now and the end of June. No UK VAT registered business will have to make a VAT payment alongside their VAT return to HMRC in that period. They will have until the end of the financial year (March 31 2021) to repay. This is in addition to the Chancellor’s announcement on 17 March of a comprehensive support package worth £330 billion to protect businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Non-domestic Rates: Coronavirus

Dawn Butler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he make an assessment of the potential merits of extending business rate relief to (a) estate and (b) letting agencies during the covid-19 outbreak.

Dawn Butler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will extend business rate relief to include estate and letting agency offices during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: The Government has set out a package of measures to support businesses through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19. The Chancellor previously announced a 100% rates holiday for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties in 2020-21. On 25 March the Government went further and removed some of the exclusions for this relief, so that eligible retail, leisure, and hospitality properties that will have to close as a result of the measures announced by the Prime Minister in his statement of 23 March, will now be eligible for the relief. This change will ensure that estate and lettings agents will now pay no business rates in 2020-21. Support is also available to those not eligible for business rates relief; this includes the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme for small and medium-sized businesses, a statutory sick pay relief package, the HMRC Time To Pay Scheme, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment, and a new lending facility from the Bank of England for larger firms.

Redundancy: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support workers who were made redundant following the outbreak of covid-19 but prior to the announcement of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Jesse Norman: The Government will make sure it protects, as far as possible, people's jobs and incomes. To help firms continue to keep people in employment, the Government announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which includes employees who were made redundant since 28 February 2020 if they are rehired by their employer. For those who will not be eligible for the scheme, the Government is strengthening the safety net. The Government has announced a package of temporary welfare measures which, together with those measures announced at the Budget, provides over £6.5 billion in additional support through the welfare system.

Non-domestic Rates

Kate Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a pro-rata rate of business rate relief for all businesses with a rateable value above £51,000.

Jesse Norman: All eligible retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will pay no business rates in England for 12 months from 1 April 2020. There will be no rateable value threshold on this relief, and both small and larger businesses will benefit. Local authorities will reflect this holiday in bills as soon as possible.The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors given the acute impacts of COVID-19 on those sectors. A range of measures to support all businesses has also been made available, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan scheme for SMEs, and a new lending facility from the Bank of England to help support liquidity among larger firms.

Remote Working: Coronavirus

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether workers who have been advised to work from home during the covid-19 outbreak are eligible to claim tax relief for (a) heating and lighting the room they work in and (b) the cost of business telephone calls.

Jesse Norman: Employees who have been advised to work from home during the COVID-19 outbreak are eligible to claim tax relief for heating and lighting the room that they work in, and for the costs of business telephone calls. They can claim a fixed amount of £4 per week up to 5 April 2020, then £6 per week thereafter. This increase was announced at Budget. Alternatively, employees can claim relief on the actual amounts incurred, subject to being able to provide evidence, such as phone bills.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Voluntary Work: Young People

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the Government's policy is on negotiating future participation in the European Solidarity Corps.

Mr John Whittingdale: The UK’s document setting out our Future Relationship with the European Union, which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-approach-to-the-future-relationship-with-the-eu, states that the UK is ready to consider participation in certain EU programmes where it is in the UK’s and the EU’s interest that we do so. These programmes represent a real benefit to British people and industry. The Government will not be seeking participation in the next European Solidarity Corps programme from 2021-2027.Under the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated with the EU, the UK will continue to participate fully in the current (2014-2020) ESC programme. This means that the projects successfully bid for during the current programmes until the end of the Transition period, will continue to receive funding for the full duration of the project, including those where funding runs beyond 2020 and the end of the transition period.

Voluntary Organisations: Coronavirus

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether additional funding will be made available to the voluntary and community sector to help them support communities more effectively during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr John Whittingdale: Last week the Minister for Civil Society held a roundtable discussion with over 45 charities to understand their concerns about covid-19. We are working with colleagues across government to shape support available to mitigate risks in the coming weeks and months and deliver effectively for communities.

Mass Media: Public Sector

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his department is taking to (a) protect and (b) expand public service media in the UK.

Mr John Whittingdale: The Government is committed to supporting a modern public service broadcasting system that will meet the needs of UK audiences in the future and remain at the heart of our world class broadcasting sector. Ofcom’s PSB Review will play an important role in strengthening our understanding of how public service broadcasting, and the regulatory framework which supports it, can adapt to ensure its continued resilience in the changing technological environment. The Government has asked Ofcom to be bold and ambitious in its thinking. Our public service broadcasting system, and the media more widely, is particularly vital during these challenging times. We welcome the media’s initiatives in ensuring audiences are informed and entertained, and we are working with the sector to ensure that audiences’ changing needs are met, including so that children have access to educational resources while schools are closed.

Mass Media: Carbon Emissions

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage private media companies in Yorkshire and the Humber to become carbon neutral.

Mr John Whittingdale: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is responsible for energy, clean growth and climate change. Private media companies are independent of the government, and their approach to the reduction of carbon emissions is a matter for these organisations.

Voluntary Work: Coronavirus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with (a) national charities and (b) other organisations on co-ordination of volunteers to help with the response to the covid-19 to ensure (i) elderly and (ii) vulnerable people are safeguarded.

Mr John Whittingdale: I have had several discussions with charities on how they can mobilise volunteers safely to support vulnerable groups. My officials are working with organisations to identify key sectoral partners, to lead efforts and mobilise volunteers. We are also working with colleagues across government to shape support available in the coming weeks and months to ensure that volunteers and vulnerable people they are helping are kept safe.

5G: Staffordshire

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received on a potential Staffordshire 5G connected region growth deal.

Matt Warman: My department is in contact with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and its Cities and Local Growth Unit with regard to Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy. The Government is committed to delivering world-class digital infrastructure across the country, including 5G and encourages all Local Enterprise Partnerships to consider opportunities for digital infrastructure deployment with their plans. Government has allocated up to £200m to build the business for 5G through its 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme. This has accelerated 5G deployment with over 80 UK towns and cities now receiving 5G coverage - including Stoke-on-Trent. The Government recently announced further funding via the Programme, a £30 million competition - 5G Create. This is an open competition aiming to attract bids from a variety of industries where the UK has a competitive advantage, encouraging dynamic business models and opening up new opportunities and markets. This includes our creative industries such as film, TV and video games, but also our rich variety of technology businesses in diverse sectors such as energy, water, health and social care, logistics and more.

Third Sector: Coronavirus

Mr Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will classify people working in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors as critical workers during the covid-19 outbreak.

Mr John Whittingdale: The guidance published on GOV.UK specifies that ‘charity workers delivering key frontline services’ can be classified as critical workers during the covid-19 outbreak. However, the guidance also states that if children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.

Casinos

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in which areas of the UK casinos are permitted under the Gambling Act 1968; how many casinos are permitted in each such area; and what the maximum size is of each such casino that is permitted.

Nigel Huddleston: Under the Gaming Act 1968, 186 casino licences were created in 53 permitted areas, generally the areas of former county boroughs with populations of over 125,000 at that time. These licences were preserved by transitional arrangements in the Gambling Act 2005 and the majority of casinos in Great Britain still operate by virtue of one of these converted licences. The local authority in which each casino is located is now the licensing authority under section 2 of the 2005 Act. 144 of the licences are currently in use. There is no maximum size, but 1968 Act casinos which have a gambling area of 200m2 or more must offer a minimum non-gambling area equivalent to at least 10% of their total gambling area. The permitted areas, and the number of licences allocated to each, are as follows: EnglandBirkenhead (1)Birmingham (8)Blackpool (4)Bolton (2)Bournemouth (3)Bradford (3)Brighton (3)Bristol (5)Coventry (4)Derby (2)Dudley (1)Great Yarmouth (3)Hove (1)Huddersfield (2)Kingston upon Hull (3)Leeds (5)Leicester (3)Liverpool (7)London (The area which is within the area specified in the licensing (Metropolitan Special Hours Area) Order 1961 - plus Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) (28)Luton (3)Lytham St Annes (1)Manchester (9)Margate (3)Newcastle upon Tyne (3)Northampton (4)Nottingham (6)Plymouth (2)Portsmouth (3)Ramsgate (1)Reading (3)Ryde (0)Salford (2)Sandown/Shanklin (0)Scarborough (2)Sheffield (5)Southampton (3)Southend-on-Sea (4)Southport (1)Stockport (2)Stoke-on-Trent (2)Sunderland (1)Teeside/Middlesborough (3)Torbay (1)Walsall (3)Warley (1)West Bromwich (1)Wolverhampton (3) ScotlandAberdeen (3)Dundee (2)Edinburgh (5)Glasgow (9) WalesCardiff (3)Swansea (4)

Betting

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to review the use of dormant betting accounts.

Nigel Huddleston: The dormant assets scheme enables money from dormant bank and building society accounts to be used for good causes. The government has recently launched a consultation on expanding the scheme to include a wider range of assets in the insurance and pensions, investment and wealth management, and securities sectors. Dormant betting accounts are not currently being considered as part of the expansion. The consultation invites comment on the government's proposals, including the range of assets proposed for inclusion. The consultation closes on 16 April and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-expanding-the-dormant-assets-scheme

Cultural Heritage: Coronavirus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, w hat steps the Government is taking to support the heritage sector during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nigel Huddleston: Government is working closely with the heritage sector to ensure there is a continuous and clear dialogue. We are proactively seeking feedback from the sector on emerging issues which is helping to inform the Government's ongoing response to the COVID-19 outbreak.